Appearance: very deep amber colour; clear; head dissipates swiftly to almost nothing

Aroma: sweet caramel, rum, fruity, vanilla, toffee - this is gonna be a sweet one (again)

Taste & Mouthfeel: as expected - overly sweet and syrupy, with big vanilla and fruity rum flavours; cloying, with almost nothing to balance it out; there might be some oak character in the finish, but not much hint of spiced rum influence it could really be any rum; it actually sets your teeth on edge it's so sweet

Overall: pretty typical from Innis & Gunn, but even more sugary than their others; was hoping for some differentiation, didn't get it (628 characters)

330ml, clear as ever bottle, part of the current winter I&G gift pack.

This beer pours a clear, bright copper hue, with one skinny finger of thin foamy off-white head, which leaves very little in the way of lace as it hastily settles. It smells of fruity, floral, boozy oak barrel, a bit of caramel and vanilla, and a metallic twinge where one would expect at least a little hop action. The taste is a bit more engaging - a solid toffee wall hits you at first, the woodiness character softened a fair deal, but the vanilla and subtle nuttiness remain. Flitting about are some nice zingy fruity notes, that have divorced themselves from immediate association with their rum origins. Speaking of the booze, it maintains quite a low profile, warming things a touch here, a smidgen there. Hops are still AWOL. The carbonation is there, but rather unobtrusive, the body medium weight, and decidedly smooth. It finishes sweet, with a toffee beholden to the wood once again, and exotic fruit esters joining the fray.

Well, the spiced rum barrels sure show their stuff in this offering, so points for truth in advertising. Overall, a decent barrel aged strong ale, clean, and pretty tasty, without those messy hops getting in the way. (1,228 characters)

A sweetish though not cloying ale. A moderate richness in the finish from an aged anejo black rum cask. Light in the spice department its mostly the vanilla. Drinkable, significant oak mid sip. Beige coloured with a little lasting head, this may get better with a year of age.Toffee and rich malting in the nose. (312 characters)

Part of the winter gift pack that I couldn't resistA - poured into the flute glass that came with the gift pack, lightly hazy bronze, thumb of head retained at a thin coveringS - mix of peat, all spice, toasty grain, and light molassesT - the caramel and spices of the rum is present but fairly subtle, some peat, light mineral and leafy flavours, with a grainy finishM - a little on the thin watery side, light spicy and dry finishO - it has the expected notes of the spiced rum but not as pronounced as I expected, worth a try as with most I&G offerings (560 characters)

Got this in the same gift pack that the Winter Beer comes in, surprised I'm the first reviewer so far; yeah!

A- Poured this into my newly acquired I&G tulip style glass...how exciting! Pours a clear golden hued color, and has a nice two finger thick eggshell colored head, that has excellent retention...eventually settling down to a dense creamy film over the brew. The carbonation appears to be very relaxed, with only a few bubbles lumbering up to the top.

S- This smells similar to the original Rum Cask beer by I&G, with a distinct woody aroma, obviously from the barrel. The main difference is that this one is sweeter, which is what I'm guessing is done on purpose, being aged in spiced rum casks instead....more tropical fruit esters are present. As expected, there isn't really any hop bitterness noticeable.

T- Holy damn is this a smooth beer! For a near 7%'er, the warming alcohol is there, but without any sort of burn whatsoever! Again, this is similar to the original rum cask, but with more fruit sweetness, and there is a very distinct butterscotch richness that lingers throughout on the palate, followed closely by banana fruit. There is a mild hop presence on the finish....just enough to balance this flavorful beer out, and I find there is some subtle cinnamon spice closely following behind right after the swallow. Absolutely delicious to taste!

M- Creamy...very creamy! This is a very smooth beer as the carbonation is short on the palate, allowing the full range of flavors to show through....I almost feel like I'm enjoying a modified light fruitcake! Solid medium-full body....

O- This is definitely a sipping beer, meant to be enjoyed as a treat! Warm, flavorful, with a nice balance between sweet and woodsy! Innis & Gunn doesn't disappoint as usual and I once again highly recommend picking this one up! (1,848 characters)

Pours dark amber with a large head.Nose shows lots of toffee and butterscotch along with vanilla and soft spiced apple. Very sweet-smelling.Equally sweet flavours. Maybe too sweet. More butter, butterscotch and toffee. Incredibly sweet.Could use a lot more carbonation. (272 characters)

Bottle: Poured a deep clear light amber color ale with a medium size white foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma consists of cereal with some light notes of rum. Taste is also a mix between some cereal with light sweet notes and some light rum notes. Body is about average with some good carbonation. This one works out better then the previous barrel-aged beer they have done. (393 characters)